1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wheeled vehicles such as cars, trucks, tractors and buses and in particular to a system for supplying oxygen-enriched air to the passenger compartments in such vehicles. The system may alternatively generate oxygen from water using electricity from the vehicle's alternator or generator, use oxygen from an oxygen storage tank(s), or use oxygen enriched air which is produced by membrane filtration. The system may include a regulator for regulating the oxygen or oxygen-enriched air that is fed to the passenger compartment to maintain the oxygen content of the air in the compartment within an optimum range.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many vehicular accidents are caused every year by drivers falling asleep at the wheel of their vehicles. Long hours at the wheel, the monotony of driving, and other factors result in drowsiness and accidents or near misses. Some experts have opined that more vehicular accidents are caused by sleepy drivers than by drunken drivers.
Drivers attempt to stay awake by drinking coffee, taking caffeine pills, opening the car windows, and playing the car radio loudly, among other things. Laws have been enacted that limit the hours that truckers and bus drivers can drive so as to minimize accidents caused by drowsiness. Numerous inventions have also been made for detecting drowsiness in a driver and setting off an alarm to rouse the driver. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,725,824; 4,728,939; 4,953,111; and 5,729,619. However, none of these things has been effective to significantly reduce the number of accidents caused by sleepy drivers.
Accordingly, an improved system is needed for reducing drowsiness of drivers and reducing accidents caused by sleepy drivers.